Cooking In A Small Town

A favorite dessert for autumn! It’s especially good served over warm apple tarte.

Make the ice cream base several hours or the night before so it will have adequate time to chill before churning. The following recipe makes enough for a 2-quart ice cream maker:

Whisk together 1 quart light cream (half and half), 2 cups heavy cream, 3/4 – 1 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (I like Mexican vanilla for this recipe), and 1 tsp ground cinnamon. Chill thoroughly.

Before churning, whisk the ice cream base to mix, then add it to the ice cream maker (kept in the freezer for at least 24-48 hours prior!) and churn for about 30-45 minutes. The base will appear to increase in volume from the air being churned in and be the consistency of soft serve ice cream when it is done.

Transfer to a pre-frozen container for hard freezing. Let freeze for an additional several hours.

Bon appétit!

Wine pairing: A late-harvest apple wine or an apple cider would be perfect. I loved Domaine Pinnacle Ice Apple Wine from Quebec – decadent and delicious apple character. Cheers!

Vanilla pods are full of volatile flavor compounds that are worth using after the beans have been removed! Some suggestions for using vanilla pods:

Vanilla sugar – store table sugar in a jar with a vanilla pod. So good in coffee.

Vanilla extract – store a small amount of rum or vodka in a dark glass jar with a vanilla pod for several months. You’ve just made vanilla extract.

Vanilla rum – fill a 750 mL – 1 L bottle with a few vanilla pods and good-quality rum. Store in a dark place for several weeks to months. Serve as an after-dinner digestif for a mental trip to the Caribbean. Cheers!

Vanilla is one of my favorite aromas and flavors, and with the addition of some fresh dairy and a little sweetener, it makes one of my favorite desserts. It’s really good on its own, on brownies, cobbler or clafoutis, or with fresh fruit.

Make the ice cream base several hours or the night before so it will have adequate time to chill before churning. The following recipe makes enough for a 2-quart ice cream maker:

Mix together 1 quart light cream (half and half), 2 cups heavy cream, 1 cup sugar, and the beans in 1 vanilla pod. Split and scrape the inside of bean pod for all the tiny vanilla beans inside. Whisk them in with the sugar and cream until the sugar is dissolved. (Save the vanilla pods for vanilla sugar, vanilla rum, and vanilla extract!) Chill thoroughly.

Before churning, whisk the ice cream base to mix, then add it to the ice cream maker (kept in the freezer for at least 24-48 hours prior!) and churn for about 30-45 minutes. The base will appear to increase in volume from the air being churned in and be the consistency of soft serve when it is done.

Transfer to a pre-frozen container for hard freezing; I use a third pan. Let freeze for an additional several hours.

For some good practical tips on making ice cream at home, consult the informative blog Ice Cream Puff.

Bon appétit!

Wine pairing: A late-harvest dessert wine, made from Muscat, Viognier, Semillion, or Petit Manseng would all be lovely. There are some interesting dessert wines made from other fruits as well; Villa Appalaccia Winery in Virgina makes a raspberry dessert wine that would be a good pairing with this ice cream served with fresh or baked fruit. Cheers!

One of my favorite Southern summer sides:

Combine chopped tomatoes and cucumbers (peeled if you prefer) in a bowl.

Optional: add a little diced sweet onion.

Toss with a generous amount of fresh chopped parsley, red or white wine vinegar, olive oil (about 2:1 vinegar to oil), salt and pepper. (Also delicious with fresh cilantro or basil.)

Marinate at room temperature or chilled for an hour or so before serving.

Bon appétit!

Wine pairing: A refreshing white or dry rose with crisp acidity to stand up to the vinegar. Pinot grigio and Albarino come to mind. Cheers!

Reasons, both culinary and otherwise, why summer is my favorite season:

1 – long lazy days

2 – radishes with salt and butter

3 – tomatoes still warm from the garden with olive oil and salt

4 – late-evening grilling while it’s still light

5 – al fresco dining, no need for a sweater

6 – jubilee beetles! (aka fireflies/lightening bugs)

7 – scree beetles (cicadas)

8 – falling asleep to the sound of crickets

9 – rose on the patio

10 – vino verde

11 – sangria

12 – drunken fruit at the bottom of the sangria glass

13 – peaches

14 – cherries

15 – blueberries in lime sugar

16 – fruit tartes

17 – picking blackberries on the huckleberry trail

18 – all-day grilling: pork shoulder, ribs, brisket

19 – eating ice cream before it melts

20 – bacon, lettuce, tomato

21 – suntans

22 – the smell of suntan lotion

23 – flip-flops

24 – seafood on the east coast shore

25 – traveling to sweltering destinations

26 – sweet tea

27 – lemonade

28 – nightcaps on the patio

29 – espresso after dinner

30 – digestif after espresso

31 – pastis

32 – watermelon with halloumi

33 – farmer’s market cantaloupe and honeydew

34 – corn on the cob

35 – succotash

36 – vidalia onions

37 – mojitos

38 – after dinner twilight walks

39 – gaspacho

40 – cucumbers in dill yogurt dressing

41 – kachumber salade

42 – lavender

43 – bumblebees

44 – salade nicoise

45 – haricots verts

46 – sand pedicures

47 – grilled pizza

48 – margaritas

49 – near-daily garden harvest

50 – humidity that wraps around you like a blanket when you step outside

It’s cherry season! This recipe for one of my favorite cherry desserts is from Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook. It also makes a delicious breakfast or brunch the next day.

Pit 1.5 lbs of cherries and let macerate for 1 hour in 3 ounces kirsch.

Preheat oven to 450F.

Grease a 9-in baking dish with 1 Tbsp butter. Coat with a pinch of sugar. Refrigerate until ready for use.

Beat 6 eggs with a whisk in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 ounces sugar and mix well to incorporate.

Stir in 4 ounces of flour and 1 tsp vanilla extract until the batter is homogenous, but do not overwork the flour.

Fold in the cherries and their juices using a rubber spatula.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes or until a golden crust has formed on top. A skewer inserted into the center should come out clean, not wet.

Serve with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar and vanilla ice cream.

Bon appétit!

Wine pairing: A Rose with red fruit aromas; a young, fruity red wine, like Beaujolais, or an off-dry or dessert-style sparkling wine, such as Prosecco. Cheers!

Peaches are one of my favorite summer fruits, and we bought South Carolina peaches today at Oasis, our local global market. The spinach and arugula were picked from our garden.

Start with grilled pizza dough, and a charcoal fire on one side of the grill only (for indirect heat), cook dough over the coals until bottom is lightly browned and crisp, rotating as necessary for even browning. The dough will form bubbles as the yeast produce carbon dioxide. Flip dough over (the cooked side is now the top of the pizza), flatten the air bubbles, move off the coals, and coat dough with olive oil. Add crumbled chevre.

Move the dough back over the coals and rotate to cook the bottom evenly. Once the bottom is browned, move dough over to indirect heat and add spinach, arugula, and 1-2 chopped peaches that have been tossed with extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and salt and pepper.

Close the grill and let greens wilt and peaches warm through, 2-5 minutes. If you’re feeling inspired, grill the peaches while the dough is cooking before adding them to the greens mixture.

Serve with balsalmic vinegar and fruity hot sauces as condiments.

Bon appétit!

Wine pairing: Viognier, with its varietal descriptors of peach and apricot, and its floral aromas, would be perfect with the peaches in this recipe. Virginia wineries are producing some fabulous Viogniers. Rose or Albarino would also pair well with this pizza. Cheers!

This recipe for grilled dough is adapted from Williams-Sonoma Grilling Cookbook. Makes enough dough for 2 pizzas.

Mix in a food processor, stand mixer, or by hand:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1.5 cups whole wheat flour

2.5 tsp yeast (dry active or quick-rise)

1 Tbsp sugar

1 scant Tbsp salt

2 tsp chopped fresh or dried herbs (oregano and thyme are nice)

Slowly add 1.25 cups warm water and 2 Tbsp olive oil. As dough pulls together, knead by hand until smooth and elastic.

Place dough in bowl, coat with olive oil, cover with a towel, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. about 1-2 hours.

Punch down and divide in half. Use immediately, refrigerate for up to 3 hours, or freeze for later use.

Bon appétit!

This is Robin Bellinger’s recipe and was posted on Serious Eats (www.seriouseats.com) a few months ago. I made some minor changes – using dark brown sugar, increasing the chocolate (recommended by Robin if you prefer more chocolate in your cookies), and flattening and baking the cookies longer for a crispier cookie. They are delicious – crisp on the outside, but still chewy and very chocolatey!

- makes about 3 dozen -

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Procedure

Preheat oven to 375°F. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla and eggs. Whisk together flours, baking soda, and salt. Gradually stir flour mixture into butter mixture and then fold in chocolate chips. Drop onto a greased or lined cookie sheet, flatten slightly with your fingers, and bake 11-12 minutes. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on baking sheets before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Wine pairing: Really? Well, dessert wines, ports, or brandies would all work, but these cookies are really, really good with a glass of milk, and since this came from Robin’s Eating For Two blog, that’s what I’ll recommend! Cheers!

This is Philippe’s creation – a practically instant, comfort food recipe:

Cook the noodles of your choice. We usually use matchstick-thin Asian-style wheat noodles or Udon noodles for this recipe.

Drain and toss back into cooking pan with butter, curry powder, salt, and chili sauce (Sriracha is a favorite) to taste.

Serve hot with chopsticks!

Bon appétit!

Wine pairing: Riesling is a great go-to wine for spicy dishes. It’s balance of sweetness and acidity compliments the spice nicely. A crisp Sauvignon blanc would be lovely as well, or a just off-dry Rose. It’s always a good idea to pair regional wine with foods inspired by the region; so definitely try a wine from Asia (India and China are both producing wines that are becoming more readily available to Western consumers). Cheers!